


Vongola Christmas

by AnimationNut



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Christmas Snippets, Christmas Tree, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Don't copy to another site, Families of Choice, Family Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Gift Exchange, Memories, One Shot Collection, Originally written in 2015, Platonic Relationships, Snow, Vongola Family - Freeform, Vongola Kids centric, and perhaps not entirely in character, listen the Vongola and Varia are a big family and they love each other, not entirely canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27803860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimationNut/pseuds/AnimationNut
Summary: A collection of ten Christmas-themed one-shots. The Vongola are a crazy bunch, and the holidays are no exception to their mania and hyperactivity. But even Mafia families have their traditions and celebrations, and they above all people know what it means to be family, and how important it is to celebrate the Christmas season together.
Relationships: Belphegor & Flan | Fran, Flan | Fran & Varia, Fuuta de la Stella & Vongola Tenth Generation, I-Pin & Vongola Tenth Generation, Lambo Bovino & Flan | Fran & I-Pin & Fuuta de la Stella, Lambo Bovino & I-Pin, Lambo Bovino & Rokudou Mukuro & I-Pin & Fuuta de la Stella & Chrome Dokuro, Lambo Bovino & Vongola Tenth Generation, Vongola Guardians - Relationship, Xanxus (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!) & Fran
Kudos: 34





	1. The Perfect Tree

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

"Christmas tree! Christmas tree! Christmas tree!"

An amused smile flitting across his lips, Futa looked up from the newspaper at the sound of the excited chanting. The noise grew louder until Lambo and I-Pin rushed into the living room, where they stopped upon spotting the fifteen-year-old sprawled on the deep blue couch.

"Futa, when are we leaving?" asked Lambo anxiously, bouncing from foot to foot.

"Did you have breakfast?"

I-Pin nodded. "Kyoko-chan and Haru-chan made us eggs. We're fed and ready to go!"

"We'll head out as soon as Chrome-nee and Mukuro-nii are here," replied Futa.

The pair of Mist Guardians had been assigned the task of bringing the youngest members of the household to a Christmas tree lot to find the perfect tree to sit proudly in the middle of the drawing room. Mukuro was not initially enthused by the idea but his female counterpart managed to convince him to come along.

"I hope they don't take too long." Lambo pouted. "We have to get there before all the good ones are gone."

"I'm pretty sure we won't have any problems with that," assured Futa. "We'll get a tree one way or another. Hopefully the non-chaotic way."

With nothing left to do but wait, the pair of twelve-year-olds settled in front of the television and flicked through the channels until they found a cartoon they both enjoyed. Chrome appeared when the episode was half-over, dressed in a pair of slim dark jeans and a light purple sweater.

"Chrome-nee! Can we go now?" asked Lambo eagerly.

Chrome smiled apologetically. "Well, Mukuro-sama is still sleeping. I tried waking him up but he's refusing to get out of bed."

"But we're ready to go!" protested Lambo.

I-Pin patted his shoulder. "The tree lot will still be there when we do decide to leave. We just have to wait."

"I hate waiting," the Lightning Guardian grumbled. He looked at Chrome hopefully. "Can I try waking him up?"

"Be my guest," invited Chrome. "But keep alert. He might try to use illusions to propel you out."

"I'm prepared to be traumatized for the sake of getting this family a Christmas tree."

Lambo hurried out of the living room, into the hall and reached the grand staircase. He rushed up a flight and went straight for Mukuro's room. He opened the door and peeked into the dark space. He could see a large lump underneath the blankets.

Creeping across the carpeted floor, he paused by the edge of the bed for a moment before diving onto his elder brother. _"Wake up!"_ he cried. "We have to go get a Christmas tree!"

Mukuro growled softly. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Chrome. It's nine in the morning. I am not getting out of this bed until at least eleven. That is when we'll get your forsaken tree."

"But Mukuro-nii, I don't wanna wait that long!" he whined, bouncing insistently on the man's back.

Grunting at the knees digging into his bare skin, Mukuro abruptly rolled over, causing Lambo to tumble beside him. Wrapping his arms around the boy's waist, he held him firmly against his side, not once lifting his face from the pillow it was buried in.

"You will be silent for the next two hours. If you manage not to make a sound, I may not accidently smother you in my sleep."

Lambo pouted, but only slightly. It was not often he got to cuddle with the male Mist Guardian and he certainly wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. He curled his arms around a pillow and snuggled close. The warmth of the covers and shared body heat caused him to doze off in no time.

Mukuro tilted his head slightly to stare at the softly-snoring boy. "Annoying cow child," he said with a yawn. He shifted his position before falling back into slumber.

Chrome checked in on the pair ten minutes later, curious as to why Lambo had not returned yet. She smiled softly at the sight of her companion holding the twelve-year-old close to him, arms wrapped snugly around the child's waist.

She stepped quietly out, easing the door shut behind her. It always made her happy to see Mukuro showing his softer side. He was not an emotional person, so showing anything resembling affection and love was difficult for him to express to the rest of their family members. After spending a life abused and mistreated, he was still adjusting to being part of a family who genuinely cared for him.

"As usual, you win, Mukuro-sama," she said with a slight smile. "Guess we're leaving later after all."

…

The group set out at eleven-thirty, bundled up in their winter gear. Mukuro wrapped his scarf around his neck to guard his flesh against the chill. "I cannot believe I agreed to this," he muttered, boots crunching in the snow as they walked to the entrance of the Christmas tree lot.

Chrome smiled up at him, cheeks already turning red from the frigid air. "This will be fun."

"I fail to see how shopping for a tree to stick in the middle of a room is fun."

"You said the same thing last year. As I recall, you enjoyed yourself."

Mukuro pointed sternly at her. "The difference is that last year I was warm in my room drinking hot chocolate. What I enjoyed was decorating the tree, not hunting for one."

They entered the tree lot, where they were surrounded by magnificent pines on every side. "Pick one."

Lambo sent Mukuro a look. "It's not that simple."

"We have to make sure that the tree isn't crooked, too short or too tall and doesn't have many brown needles," explained I-Pin.

"It's a very delicate process," said Futa seriously.

"Don't encourage them," grumbled Mukuro. "All right, go and find your blasted tree."

With cheers, the kids took off with the fifteen-year-old close behind them. Mukuro and Chrome followed at a slower pace, the latter breathing deeply to savour the scent of pine. "Isn't this nice?"

"No," replied Mukuro. "It's cold."

Chrome shook her head in fond exasperation. "You're impossible."

Mukuro smirked. “So I’ve been told.”

_"Ouch! Ow! Help me, Futa!"_

The cry sounded from the lane of trees next to them. Mukuro was quicker to react than Chrome, his body disappearing in a swarm of Mist waves and reappearing to where the kids were located. It was a relief to see that the matter was nothing serious—Lambo had somehow gotten caught on a branch of a tree.

"Prickly! It's prickly!" the boy whined as Futa attempted to remove the hem of his coat from where it was caught.

Chrome appeared next to Mukuro and she frowned in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Its fine," Futa assured. "He just had a little incident."

"As he tends to have," said I-Pin with a giggle.

Eventually Lambo was freed and the boy moved as far away as possible. "That one is evil."

I-Pin studied it thoughtfully. "Actually, it's perfect."

It was of a decent height, full of healthy green needles and standing pin-straight. Futa gave a nod of agreement. "I like it. It'll look really nice in the drawing room."

"We're taking it," said Mukuro instantly. "Let's pay for this thing and get going."

Lambo frowned. "Wait, so we're paying for the tree that tried to kill me?"

"Dramatic, much?" asked I-Pin.

"We'll wait here while you find the salesperson," offered Chrome.

"Don't let anyone snag it. Boil them in lava if you have to,” ordered Mukuro. He started off in search of an employee of the tree lot, Futa walking beside him.

"Mukuro-nii, I just had a thought."

The male illusionist glanced at the teen. "What thought would that be?"

"We brought the truck and Chrome-nee's car. Is the tree going to be okay on the trip home?"

Mukuro furrowed his brow. That was certainly something they didn't particularly think through. The tree would have to be tied down and half of it would be hanging off into the bed of the truck. It wouldn't be straight or properly anchored, which meant risk of the delicate instrument of nature being snapped into pieces. The car wasn't the ideal choice either, for it was quite small and the top of the tree would most likely drag along the road.

"We'll figure it out," he said determinedly. "My feet are cold and I want to go back to the mansion and irritate the Skylark."

They found an employee and brought him over to the tree they wanted. Mukuro handed over the cash and the worker gave him some ropes to use to tie the tree to their vehicle. "It's all yours, folks. Have a Merry Christmas."

Mukuro took one end of the tree while Futa and Lambo took the other. The girls followed behind the boys as they went back to the parking lot. Chrome suddenly remembered which vehicle they had taken and her eye widened.

"Um—"

"Futa and I have already figured that out," cut in Mukuro, already knowing what his female companion was going to say. "We're just going to have to problem-solve."

Reaching the black truck, Futa helped Mukuro tie the front of the tree to the cab. The back end hung down into the bed, as anticipated. Lambo tilted his head to the side. "Isn't it gonna thrash around if it's not tied down properly?"

"Yes," answered Mukuro. "I have the solution. You and Futa are going to ride in the bed of the truck and keep it supported."

Lambo whooped while Futa looked far less enthused. Chrome bit her lip. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"It'll be fine," dismissed Mukuro. "Boys, in the truck. We're moving out."

Lambo eagerly clambered into the bed with Futa following behind. They crouched on opposite sides of the bed, taking hold of the back end of the tree and hefting it up so that it was level with the rest.

"Don't drive fast," pleaded Chrome.

Mukuro smiled and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. They'll be fine."

"Be steady, guys!" I-Pin cautioned before following Chrome to the car.

Mukuro climbed into the driver's seat and started the truck. He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, starting the journey home. Lambo gripped the tree as he swayed back and forth with the movement of the truck. The sharp wind stung the bare flesh on his face and he ducked his head as best he could.

"Second thoughts! I'm having second thoughts!"

"I'm already on my third thoughts," yelped Futa, bracing his back against the wall of the bed. A chunk of snow that hadn't been cleared from the roof of the truck flew off and struck the teen in the face. Coughing and spluttering, Futa shook his head wildly to rid himself of the snow. "Ouch."

Chrome's car trailed behind them and I-Pin was torn between pity and amusement as she watched her friends struggle against the motion and the cold. "I don't think they're having fun."

"I should have been sterner," said Chrome in dismay. "This is dangerous business. Tsuna is going to kill me."

I-Pin could not help but laugh when Lambo's hat was whipped off his head by the wind and went flying down the road. "Oh, poor Lambo."

It was a relief when they finally arrived at Vongola Mansion. Rolling up the long driveway, Mukuro parked the truck and turned it off. Chrome moved her car beside him and jumped out to check on the two shivering boys. "Are you okay?" she exclaimed.

"Just a mild case of frostbite," said Futa through chattering teeth.

"Go inside and warm up. We'll bring the tree inside."

The three wasted no time in scurrying up the stone steps and through the front door.

"Now we just have to bring this thing inside," said Mukuro, untying the ropes.

"We could materialize it in," suggested Chrome. "In fact, we probably could have materialized the tree here in the first place."

"Well, we had to drive the cars home regardless, so why make a pointless trip?”

Chrome shook her head and climbed into the bed of the truck. She took the back end of the tree while Mukuro took the front end. Together they materialized the tree into the mansion, appearing in a cloud of indigo and black. Gokudera, who had been sitting on the couch reading, jumped at their sudden presence.

"Don't do that," he snapped.

Mukuro smirked. "Did we scare you?"

"You just popped out of nowhere. So yes, I was startled." Gokudera set his book down. "I see the tree, but not the kids."

"We left them there," quipped Mukuro.

"They're probably getting hot chocolate from the kitchen,” spoke Chrome.

The pair of illusionists leaned the tree against the wall, where it would stay until the Christmas decorations and the tree stand would be brought down from the attic. Gokudera studied it. "It's a pretty nice tree."

"Better be. It took forever to find it."

"It took five minutes to find it," said Chrome patiently. "The kids found it when Lambo got stuck on its branches."

Gokudera blinked. "So you selected the tree that attacked ahoshi?"

Mukuro stretched his arms over his head with a lazy smile. "Logical reasoning, I say."

The Storm Guardian smiled rather deviously. "I can agree with that. Any tree that assaults Lambo is the perfect tree to me."


	2. Deck the Halls

Boxes were stacked in front of the fully-decorated Christmas tree in the drawing room. Baubles and special ornaments hung from the branches and tinsel dripped gracefully from the tips. Lights were strung neatly around the tree and a silver star shone proudly at the very top.

I-Pin admired the majestic pine. "It's beautiful."

Lambo grinned. "It'll look even better when our presents are underneath it."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Shut up and help me finish opening these boxes."

The pair were in charge of putting the rest of the Christmas decorations around the mansion. I-Pin and Lambo rummaged through each box, unearthing a pile of shimmering garland, a collection of fragile Christmas figurines wrapped securely in newspaper, sheets of window decals, extra strands of lights and an assortment of wreaths and holiday symbols intended to be hung on doors or walls.

"Where should we start?" asked I-Pin, carefully unwrapping a miniature glass reindeer and admiring it.

"Divide and conquer," decided Lambo. "You take the first floor. I'll take the second floor. We don't have to worry about the kitchen or dining room. Haru-chan and Kyoko-chan have already taken care of those rooms.”

"I noticed. The gingerbread tablecloth is so cute."

"Gingerbread," said Lambo with a dreamy smile. "That'll be next on our Christmas to-do list" He grabbed a few strands of shiny red garland. "All right, let's start decking these halls."

Lambo went into the hallway and over to the grand staircase. He looped one end of the garland around the pole of the bottom banister. Skipping up the steps two at a time, he twisted the rest of the garland through the glossy wooden rails until he reached the top. Securing the other end at the tip of the top banister, he stepped back to admire his work.

"It's uneven."

Lambo glanced over his shoulder. "What do you mean, uneven?"

Reborn approached the twelve-year-old, lifting his fedora back so that he could study the child's handiwork. "I mean what I mean, idiot cow. The garland is bunched at certain intervals. You didn't spread it out smoothly enough."

"It looks fine," defended Lambo. "Right, Leon?" The small green lizard flicked out his tongue twice. Lambo nodded. "See? You're just trying to annoy me."

"Doesn't take much to accomplish that." Reborn smirked. "Where's your partner in crime?"

"Decorating downstairs. I’m in charge of the upstairs.” Lambo glared sternly at the hitman. "That means you can't argue with my creative vision."

"I can argue all I want if your creative vision sucks," returned Reborn. The ex-Sun Arcobaleno moved passed the child and started down the stairs. "If I see even a shred of tinsel in my room, I'm going to beat you."

Lambo pouted. "You have no Christmas spirit."

He followed after Reborn and received a slight smack on the head when he went to divert from their joined path and head to the drawing room. I-Pin was no longer there and he seized the rest of the decorations he would need for the second floor.

"I-Pin!" he hollered, making his way slowly to the stairs, peeking over his festive and sparkly pile. "How are you doing?"

"Good!" she called back, sounding to be a few rooms away. "I just have a few more windows to do!"

"Whoa, what are you doing to the windows?" Gokudera shouted from somewhere, his voice sounding rather concerned.

"I'm putting Christmas stickers on them! They come off, don't worry.”

Gokudera responded, "They better!"

Lambo snickered and inched his way up the stairs, careful not to drop anything. Setting his Christmas collection on the hardwood floor, he studied them for a moment before selecting a sparkly Santa Claus door decoration.

"This one will be for Tsuna-nii." Lambo went over to the desired door and dug a roll of tape from his hoodie pocket. He secured the string attached to the top of the cut-out to Tsuna's bedroom door. Pleased with his work, he began to do the doors for the rest of his siblings.

"A reindeer for Take-nii, 'cause he's kinda graceful like one," hummed Lambo as he went about attaching the cut-outs to the proper door. "A Christmas star for Ryo-nii, who shines just as bright. Turtledoves for Mukuro-nii and Chrome-nee because they're a perfect pair. A gingerbread cookie for Kyo-nii because he's just like one—hard on the outside but soft on the inside. And I'll take the shiny red and green present because I'm certainly a gift."

With one door in the hall left to decorate, Lambo went through the remaining plastic cut-outs. He came across one that made him burst into devious laughter as he imagined it on Gokudera's door. He cheerfully went over and taped the cute design onto the wood.

"What are you cackling about this time?"

Lambo looked over his shoulder and grinned at the approaching Bianchi. "I found the perfect decoration to put on Stupidera's door."

He stepped out of the way so that the pink-haired woman could get a clear view. A smile curled across her face. "I hope you are prepared for Hayato's wrath."

"It'll be worth it." Lambo smiled proudly at the little elf that hung from the Storm Guardian's door. "I mean, an elf to Santa Claus is kinda like a guard dog to a master. Fits Haya-nii perfectly." He glanced over at Bianchi. "I'm heading to your wing next. What door decoration do you want?"

Bianchi inspected the leftover decorations. "I want the candy cane."

"You got it."

Lambo gathered his supplies into his arms and hurried down the hall. He turned the corner, going passed the bathrooms, closets and sitting room, eventually entering the girls' wing. He promptly put the candy cane on Bianchi's door and decided to give Kyoko the gingerbread house, Haru the Christmas tree and I-Pin a glittering wreath.

The last remaining door decoration was a snowman, sitting amongst sparkling garland. A sudden idea struck him and though it was a rather dangerous idea he could not ignore it.

He hurried around the corner to where Reborn's and Shamal's rooms were located. He stuck the snowman to Reborn's door and took off its detachable mouth. He turned the smiling face upside-down and reattached it, so that the snowy creature was frowning.

"There. A grump for a grump." Lambo grinned and went across the hall to Shamal's door. He untangled some glittering gold garland and used it to frame the doorway.

"Boy, what are you doing?"

Lambo smiled innocently. "Making the place look Christmassy."

Shamal did not look moved by this. "Did I say you could vandalize my door?"

"I think you need to brush up on your definition of vandalism," informed Lambo. When Shamal narrowed his eyes, he clasped his hands together. "Come on, Shamal-sensei.”

He deliberately widened his eyes, knowing the act made them look particularly shiny. He arranged his lips into a soft pout. Not fooled in the slightest, Shamal pinched Lambo’s cheek. “You’re a manipulative brat. The second Christmas is over, I’m taking this crap down.”

"I love you too," sang Lambo.

A brief smile flicked across Shamal's face as he watched the child skip off. He glanced at the eyesore on Reborn's bedroom door and snorted. "He's going to get shot for that one," he said in amusement before disappearing into his quarters.

Lambo entered the upstairs sitting room. He used the remainder of the garland to drape around the room and placed the wreaths in the picture windows. Deeming his decorating to be more than acceptable, he went back downstairs.

He’d hoped that there might be some window stickers left over. But his hopes were dashed when he discovered snowmen, snowflakes, presents and other Christmas-themed decals plastering every window he passed.

He stepped into the drawing room to see the empty boxes. With a shrug of his shoulders, he went to inspect the display I-Pin had arranged on the windowsill. His best friend entered as he was admiring the glass reindeer set. "Couldn't leave some for me?" he asked, turning to look at her.

I-Pin set her hands on her hips. "I realized that you left me to decorate the space that has the most rooms. So you can’t complain. I needed the majority of the decorations."

"Eh, it's all good anyway. I just thought if there were extra, I would put them in the sitting room. Are we done?”

"Almost. We’ve just got one more thing to do.” I-Pin removed the collection of traditional stockings and handed half to Lambo. “Stockings on the mantel.”

They made quick work of it. "That's what I call teamwork," said Lambo with a grin. "How did you finish at the same time I did if you had more to do?"

"I did not spend all those years training with Master to come out with nothing to show for it," replied I-Pin. "Speed is my speciality.”

"Show-off," grumbled Lambo. He lifted his arms over his head and stretched. "Well, guess we better do something about these boxes, huh?"

Before she could reply two shouts travelled down from the second-floor, filled with dangerous intent that caused Lambo's stomach to drop to the floor in fear.

_"Ahoshi! What did you put on my door?"_

_"Idiot cow, I warned you. Prepare to be shot."_


	3. Christmas Memories

* * *

**Lights**

* * *

It had been Levi's turn to hang up the Christmas lights and the Lightning Varia had barely been at work for five minutes when he had a nasty tumble. In his descent he had gotten tangled in the multicoloured Christmas lights and ended up dangling in front of the living room window. His shouts for help were met by Squalo laughing hysterically.

* * *

**Ice Skates**

* * *

Lambo never really learned how to ice skate nor had he ever expressed much interest in it. But on a family trip to the local ice rink I-Pin convinced him to lace on some skates. He had wobbled and lurched his way around the smooth ice, his best friend gripping his hands the whole time.

* * *

**Glitter**

* * *

Haru absolutely adored Christmas and she loved to make her own decorations. Her favourite crafting tool was glitter and she used it at every Christmas crafting opportunity. But after a mishap with red glitter and Gokudera’s suit, she decided that maybe less really was more.

* * *

**Fruitcake**

* * *

Mukuro thought it would be funny to put a small fruitcake in Hibari's stocking. On Christmas Day he promptly received the fruitcake back, by Hibari flinging it at his head and hitting his mark. He had a nasty headache for the rest of the day but the expression on Hibari's face had been worth it.

* * *

**Scrooge**

* * *

Xanxus wasn't made for the Christmas season, with all its cheer and goodwill towards men. He hated having a tree clog his living room for a month and he couldn't stand the sickening decorations that were _everywhere._ So when he came home one day in December to see fake snow _all over the damn place_ , he flipped out on the culprits. It wasn't until later that he could reflect on the incident and respect the guts of Belphegor and Fran to pull such a stunt. But it certainly hadn't improved his mood towards the holiday.

* * *

**Awe**

* * *

It was her first Christmas at Vongola Mansion and Kyoko was in delighted awe at the magnificent tree that stood proudly in the drawing room. It glowed a gentle gold and the ornaments sparkled on the branches, where the tips were draped in fake snow. It was absolutely beautiful and she took every chance she got to admire it. Taking the tree down wasn’t nearly as awe-inspiring, but Kyoko thought the effort was worth it.

* * *

**Rooftop**

* * *

Though there were decorators who were hired to put up the Christmas lights, every so often there would be a bulb that burnt out. Yamamoto couldn't leave it be, so he tended to make his way up to the snow-covered roof to see if he could fix it. He always felt a flare of satisfaction when the bulb eventually lit up a brilliant colour. But on one of his fix-it missions he ended up being locked out on the roof and when Ryohei finally found him Yamamoto had come to the conclusion that next time he wanted to repair a faulty Christmas light he would use the buddy system.

* * *

**Sweater**

* * *

When Tsuna was sixteen, his mother had given him the quintessential ugly Christmas sweater. It was green with red felt on the hem and a giant Santa Claus face in the middle, with white fuzz for the beard and a red pom-pom for a nose. Nana wanted him to wear it when they went Christmas shopping and Tsuna was horrified by the idea. But his mother looked so happy and he didn't want to disappoint her, so he wore it. It eventually became tradition that he would wear the awful sweater at least once every December until he outgrew it.

* * *

**Carolers**

* * *

Squalo didn't have a damn clue how the carollers managed to find their mansion so far in the forest. What he did know was that if they continued singing, he was going to slice them all down. He was just about to act on his desire when Mammon started for the door, armed with a carton of eggs. Squalo followed after him and it wasn't long before he decided that egging Christmas carollers was much more satisfying.

* * *

**Christmas Tree**

* * *

Lambo and I-Pin were roughhousing, as they often did, were roughhousing. Bianchi was on the couch reading a book, not paying the two much mind. Upon hearing the racket Gokudera burst into the drawing room, shouting at the two to knock it off and not horseplay near the tree. For whatever reason, the tree seemed to choose that exact moment to inexplicably fall over, right on top of the irate Gokudera. Lambo and I-Pin immediately fled, for though they had not been the cause they knew the Storm Guardian would pin the blame on them. Bianchi was hunched over in laughter and it was a good five minutes before she regained enough control to help her brother out.

* * *

**Tinsel**

* * *

Verde didn't really celebrate Christmas. He was a man of science, not religion. His fellow scientists and engineers Shoichi and Spanner celebrated the holiday and he found he didn't mind the decorations that came out once a year. But if he kept finding tinsel stuck in every available corner in his office, he was going to have to have a stern talk with Spanner.

* * *

**Wishes**

* * *

I-Pin spent the first three years of her life at an orphanage in Hong Kong. She doesn’t remember much of it, but she does remember one particular Christmas when she was three. There was a lone silver star in the night sky on Christmas Eve and for the first time ever she made a wish. She wished for friends, she wished for a family and she wished to be loved. Not long after that, Fon discovered her stealing from a local merchant and was impressed with her abilities. He took her on as his student and two years later she was welcomed into Tsuna’s home.

* * *

**Reindeer**

* * *

Fran was twelve and Belphegor twenty-one when they set out into the forest late on Christmas Eve. Whenever he remembered their little outing, the blonde prince was hard-pressed to explain why he and the child had decided to venture out in the freezing cold, into a dark forest. But they did, and it was five minutes into their walk that they came upon a reindeer. Once the animal spotted them it immediately charged, sending the two scattering. They raced through the snow back to the mansion with the reindeer following them all the way. The two made it inside the foyer, shutting the front door behind them. When Lussuria came upon them the two were in fits of uncontrollable laughter with the reindeer beating insistently on the door.

* * *

**Chimney**

* * *

Nosaru didn't know how it all came about. All he knew was that Lambo dared him to go down the chimney and, the stubborn person he was, he accepted. Along with Bluebell and I-Pin, they traversed up to the roof of Vongola Mansion. Much to Nosaru’s horror and fury, he got stuck halfway down the chimney. It took the combined efforts of his friends and Tazaru to get him out.

* * *

**Traffic**

* * *

Reborn didn't know how long he'd been sitting in traffic but it was more than he could stand. He wasn't a patient person to begin with and the Christmas traffic wasn’t helping his fraying nerves. The one thing keeping him at the wheel and not causing chaos in the streets was the fact that he would be able to see his family after two weeks of work. For that, even Christmas traffic was worth it.


	4. Christmas Traffic

If one more person laid down on their horn, Reborn refused to be held accountable for his actions.

Sitting straight against his seat, he glowered out the windshield, fingers clenched tight around the wheel. He was packed into his lane like a sardine with lines of cars on both sides of him and stretching as far as the eye could see. To make matters worse, the snow was falling steadily, severely hindering visibility.

**_Honk!_ **

The blast came from behind him, loud and obnoxious. Reborn looked into his review mirror with a dark scowl. "What do you want me to do?" he snapped. "I can't effing move any further than you can!"

And perhaps his tendency for road rage wasn't helping matters.

Groaning in agitation, Reborn closed his eyes briefly and took a breath. Here he was, like a moron with other morons, driving on a major highway on nine o'clock Christmas Eve morning.

It was only typical that his plane was delayed, resulting in him getting back to Italy that morning. If the only the plane had been on time he wouldn't be in this highly undesirable situation.

Another horn blast sounded from beside him and he rubbed the space between his eyes, starting to feel the beginnings of a headache. "I hate you all."

He idly reached inside his suit jacket, feeling the familiar and comforting outline of his gun. A dark fantasy of him shooting his way through the traffic filled his mind and he was sorely tempted to act on his desire. But then he happened to glance at the car to his right, a small orange vehicle, and spotted a toddler strapped securely to a safety seat.

_So much for that plan,_ he thought with some disappointment.

The car in front of him started to inch forwards and Reborn gently applied his foot to the gas, creeping along after the van.

**_Hoooonk!_ **

_"Come on!"_ an aggressive male voice screamed. _"Move it, you effing moron!"_

Temper flaring, Reborn waited until they once again came to a stop before reaching for his door handle. The idiot wanted him to move? Oh, he would move. He would move all the way to that sorry piece of crap, drag him out of his car, across four lanes and over the guardrails.

His fingers closed around the handle but before he could push it open his phone started ringing. Reborn reluctantly let go and reached for his cell, activating the speaker phone. "Chaos."

"Hey, Reborn," greeted Tsuna. “How’s it going?”

The hitman immediately picked up on the concern in Tsuna’s voice. "Dame-Tsuna. Are you checking up on me?"

"Of course not!" exclaimed Tsuna, a bit too quickly. After a brief pause, he admitted, "Maybe. You were supposed to be back yesterday."

"Plane got delayed," he replied. "Now I'm stuck in traffic, attempting to resist the urge to slaughter everyone on this highway."

"How far away are you?"

"Three hours, give or take. Less if I annihilate these morons, more if I sit here and wait."

Tsuna could not help but laugh. "I know you're not a patient person, but just this once, try not to lose it. It's probably going to result in a nasty mess and that’ll just delay you longer than the traffic ever could. Wait it out. You'll be home before you know it. Haru-chan and Kyoko-chan are baking cookies now. They'll be ready when you get here."

"They better be. If Lambo eats them all, there's going to be hell to pay."

"The kitchen is pretty much on lockdown," said Tsuna in amusement. "That kid eats enough sugar on a regular basis. He doesn't need an overdose of Christmas sweets on top of that."

"Any new developments while I was gone?"

"I-Pin recently caught a cold. She's laid up in the infirmary so it doesn't spread to the rest of us."

Reborn felt a flare of sympathy for the girl. "Make sure she drinks orange juice. You know how she hates it.”

"Yeah, Shamal is pretty much force-feeding it to her."

The cars started to move again and Reborn prepared to move a few inches before hitting the brakes. But this time the cars kept moving, a steady line of vehicles crawling down the highway. "Hallelujah," he muttered. "I think we're actually going to be moving in a continuous manner. I'll see you in a few hours, Tsuna."

"Drive safe. Try not to kill anyone between there and here."

"I make no promises," he replied before hanging up.

Though he knew the ride back home was going to be slow and most likely excruciating, he would do everything in his power to keep his temper reigned in. He just wanted to get home, to see the people he hadn't seen in weeks, and celebrate the holidays with the ones he called family.

And for them, suffering through Christmas traffic was more than worth it.


	5. Guardian Gift Exchange

He was an idiot.

"How does a person forget where they hid their Christmas present?" said Lambo desperately. Half of his body was stuck underneath his bed, his legs stretched out behind him on the carpeted floor. He groped blindly about, hoping to snag the light orange bag that contained the present he needed.

Deciding that his effort was a lost cause he crawled backwards and sat up. "Oh, man."

"What are you doing?"

Lambo glanced over his shoulder. I-Pin stood in his doorway with a bemused expression. "I can't remember where I hid Tsuna-nii's present!" he said in dismay. "Our gift exchange starts in about five minutes!"

"And you're just _now_ looking for it?"

"I thought I knew where it was." He shrugged helplessly. "I've looked everywhere but I can’t find it.”

I-Pin shook her head. "You shouldn’t have such a poor memory so early in life." She removed her hands, which had been hidden behind her back, and held out the present Lambo had been intently searching for. "You hid it in my room so that it would be safe."

The twelve-year-old flushed. "Oh. Right. Thanks."

She grinned as her friend took the gift. "Have fun with the exchange. If you get anything good share it with me."

"Eh. We'll see."

I-Pin stuck out her tongue at him before heading back to her room. Lambo moved aside the white tissue paper to make sure that the present was still intact. Relieved, he rushed into the hall and down the stairs.

Sock-covered feet sliding across the wooden floor, Lambo came upon Tsuna's office. He opened the door and found that the rest of his siblings were already gathered, in various positions on the dark leather couches situated around Tsuna’s desk.

"I expected you to be the first one here," remarked Gokudera.

"Well, I would have been here earlier but I had…stuff to do."

Mukuro raised a brow. “What stuff?”

“None of your business,” sniffed Lambo. He gave a small yelp when Mukuro’s fingers tightened in his black curls. “Ow! Let go!”

“Mukuro-sama,” said Chrome in exasperation. “Leave him be.”

“I will when he answers my question,” said Mukuro silkily, pulling slightly on the boy’s head.

“I lost the present so I had to find it, okay?”

Gokudera rolled his eyes. “You’d lose your head if it wasn’t attached.”

“Oh, shut up, Elfdera.”

Gokudera’s eyes narrowed and he stood, but his movements were halted by Tsuna’s hand wrapping around his wrist. “No fighting,” he rebuked lightly. “Or else we’ll never get started.”

“I’ll get you later,” growled Gokudera, pointing threateningly at Lambo, who smiled innocently in response.

When everyone settled down, the gift exchange got underway. As always, Tsuna went first, handing a lumpy, yellow-wrapped package to Ryohei. Hibari arched an eyebrow. "Have problems with the tape, omnivore?"

Tsuna grinned sheepishly. "Little bit."

"It is an EXTREME wrapping job!" Ryohei declared, immediately tearing the paper off in one motion. He held up the dark red boxing gloves, staring in awe at the silver autograph scrawled neatly on the right glove.

"That's one of the professional boxers you like, right?" asked Tsuna anxiously. "I wasn't sure if I remembered correctly."

"How did you get them signed?" asked Ryohei.

"Oh, um, it took some tracking down, but he's actually a really nice guy, so it wasn't any trouble."

Setting the gloves beside him, Ryohei got up and enveloped Tsuna in a tight bear-hug. "EXTREME thank you!"

"Not so hard, Turf Top," snapped Gokudera.

Tsuna smiled, returning the embrace. "You're very welcome, onii-san."

"Guess it's my turn." Ryohei let go and went to retrieve his present, a small box wrapped in red paper. "Here, Octopus Head!"

Gokudera took it and peeled the wrapping paper off. Lifting the lid of the black velvet box, his expression softened. He turned the box slightly so that the others could see the silver watch nestled inside, golden hands and red gemstones glinting in the light.

"Ooh, shiny!" admired Lambo.

"Thanks, Turf Top," said Gokudera, removing the watch and fastening it securely to his wrist. He let out a grunt when Ryohei wrapped his arms around him. "Geez, a hug isn't supposed to be a choke hold!"

"Shut up and hug me back."

Rolling his eyes, the Storm Guardian gave the boxer a squeeze. "There. Now let me give my gift."

Gokudera picked up the indigo-wrapped package beside him and walked over to Chrome. Smiling, the girl took it and set it in her lap. She beamed as she unearthed a scrapbooking kit.

"It's your new hobby, right? Figured I'd help you kickstart it or whatever," said Gokudera.

"It's perfect." Chrome stood to kiss his cheek. "Thank you!"

"You’re welcome.”

Gokudera returned to his seat and Chrome gave Yamamoto his gift. "Here, Takeshi."

Yamamoto peeled off the blue paper and grinned at the collection of special-edition baseball cards he uncovered, each in a protective plastic cover. "Wow, Chrome, these are great! Where'd you find them?"

“In all sorts of shops,” said Chrome simply.

“Seriously, we went everywhere,” said Mukuro feelingly.

"These will be great additions to my collection." Yamamoto set them aside and stood up to hug the girl.

Mukuro pouted. "I want attention too."

Lambo shook his head. "You are so weird."

"Excuse me, I'm not the one who mixed soda and pizza in a blender for a snack."

"It was an experiment!" defended Lambo.

Before Mukuro could retort, Tsuna cut in with a firm, "No bickering during the gift exchange.”

"Yeah," agreed Yamamoto. He held out an oddly shaped green package. "Don't you want to open your present, Lambo?"

Eyes brightening, Lambo hopped down and went over to his older brother. He took the package and sat on the floor, eagerly tearing off the wrappings. "Yay!" he squealed, hugging his new gumball machine, which was already filled to the brim with grape gumballs.

"Baseball Idiot, that is the last thing he needed," groaned Gokudera.

Hibari, who had been watching the exchange in silence, cut in with a firm, “I am not dealing with him when runs rampant on a sugar high.”

"Eat those in moderation, Lambo," ordered Tsuna. "You don't want to get sick."

"Yeah, yeah." Lambo looped his arms around Yamamoto's neck. "Thanks, Take-nii."

"You're welcome." Yamamoto smiled and ruffled his hair fondly.

"Now it's my turn!" Lambo hurried to retrieve his present and went over to Tsuna. "Here you go!"

Tsuna lifted the boy to hold in his lap. Digging through the tissue paper, his fingers closed around the gift and he lifted it out. It was a silver square picture frame with eight gemstones decorating the edges. The gemstones reflected the colours associated with the Guardians and their respective Flame.

The picture inside the frame was of the eight of them. Tsuna and Lambo were in the center of the group, their cheeks squished together. Gokudera, Yamamoto and Ryohei stood to the right, with Yamamoto's arms slung around both of them. Mukuro, Chrome and Hibari stood to the left, with the girl in between the two of them, a gentle smile on her face. Mukuro had his usual smirk with Hibari looking rather uninterested in the whole ordeal.

"It's beautiful," said Tsuna softly, pressing a kiss to Lambo's hair. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Lambo cheerfully.

"I guess we know who’s next," said Yamamoto in amusement.

"Talk about irony," added Gokudera with a grin.

Mukuro and Hibari glanced at each other. "Here," said Hibari curtly, throwing the gift at the illusionist, who caught it.

"Kufufufu. It hasn't exploded yet. So far so good." Mukuro dug a small box from his coat pocket and tossed it to Hibari, who snagged it between two fingers. "You go first."

"No, you go first."

"No. _You_ go first."

"I’m going to come over there and bite you to death," growled Hibari. “Open it.”

Mukuro removed the wrapping paper and stared at the pair of black leather gloves. His name was sewn in silver thread on the bottom of each glove.

"Not bad," muttered Mukuro. "Thanks, Skylark."

Hibari grunted and unwrapped his present. He opened the lid and lifted out a small golden charm that bore a very similar likeness to Hibird.

"That's cute," said Chrome with a smile.

"Thanks for not getting me something worthless," said Hibari, slipping the charm carefully back in the box.

"Hug! Hug! Hug!" chanted Lambo and it was not long before the others joined him. "Hug! Hug! Hug!"

"I will not cave to peer pressure," said Mukuro, crossing his arms.

"I will not sink to your herbivorous behaviour," said Hibari flatly.

"Hug," insisted Chrome, tugging on Mukuro's arm with a pleading expression. Mukuro's resolve wavered.

"Come on, stop pretending you don't love each other," huffed Lambo. "Hug!"

"If it will shut you all up, fine," grumbled Mukuro. "But if he stabs me, I refuse to be held accountable for my actions."

"Don't you do it," warned Hibari.

"Stop whining." Mukuro crossed the room and tackled the Cloud Guardian in a rough embrace that was not without affection.

"I ought to beat you silly," growled Hibari, giving him a jab to the stomach. But he nonetheless gave Mukuro a brief squeeze in return. "Now get off me."

Mukuro reclaimed his seat and said, “Is everyone happy?”

"Very," said Tsuna with a bright smile.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” asked Chrome.

"Yes. It was. His murderous aura hurts."

"I can show you something that will hurt more,” offered Hibari.

"No fighting on Christmas," insisted Tsuna. "Mostly because I don’t want to deal with the paperwork to sort out whatever damages you two might cause.”

"Remember when they took down the front door?" recalled Yamamoto.

"It was an EXTREME fight!" exclaimed Ryohei.

Gokudera crossed his arms. “You know, in the new year, you lot can deal with your own paperwork.”

"Paperwork is EXTREMELY boring!" the Sun Guardian said. "It takes a boring person to do it!"

Lambo nestled against Tsuna, a contented smile on his face as Gokudera and Ryohei started to bicker. They were an unruly bunch. But no matter how many times they argued or fought they all had a bond that could not be broken. And to Lambo, that was the greatest gift of all.


	6. What a Gift Means

While going to a mall during the Christmas season could fill some with a warm spirit, it also served to fuel the Scrooge in those who already had enough grievances towards the holiday. Xanxus was certainly no exception and he strode down the mall corridors with a disgusted glower and tight-lipped frown. Everyone gave the trench-coated man a wide berth and those who didn't scurry out of his way got a scathing glare and a harsh shove in return.

"Screw December," he growled under his breath. The amount of glitter, lights and fake snow in one building was absolutely sickening. "I can't believe I'm freaking Christmas shopping. Shoulda sent out the shark to do it for me."

Xanxus normally would not have been caught dead in such a festive setting. He never acknowledged Christmas. Decorations were forbidden. He didn’t want to see a speck of Christmas cheer in his home. He most certainly didn’t give gifts.

But then he was defeated by the brat Tsunayoshi. All of his rage and pent-up fury had been exhausted during the final battle and for the first time in a long time, he was able to think without the red haze clouding his mind. He was able to truly realize the extent his subordinates would go to in order to serve him. Even after his humiliating loss, they stuck firmly by his side.

He was able to see all the sacrifices his men had made and all the crap they endured from him. They absolutely had no obligation to stay, but their loyalty was clear and undeniable. He was disgusted to discover that he had grown rather attached to the dysfunctional group, even in his constant state of simmering rage.

And so he started giving gifts, year after year.

An official tradition was established when they received custody of Fran from Mukuro Rokudo. The teal-haired child had been eleven and that was enough for Lussuria. The runt was getting a full, proper Christmas and those who didn't agree would get their bones shattered.

Xanxus would _not_ admit that there was a small flare of satisfaction at seeing the normally blank face of Fran light up at the sight of presents underneath the tree that Christmas morning.

But the kid had turned thirteen and Mammon put his foot down. "There is no way I'm wasting money on all of you, at least not more than I already do," he had snapped. "If you want to do gifts, we'll do a damn Secret Santa."

And of all names Xanxus had to pick, it was the name of their junior illusionist.

"Why couldn't it have been Lussuria?" grumbled Xanxus. "Hell, it could have been anyone. But it had to be the runt."

The Varia boss was completely stuck on what to get the kid. Fran didn't show much interest in anything. He played video games with Belphegor, read the occasional book and watched a movie now and then. But he never expressed that was passionate about something.

Xanxus tried to recall what they had bought the brat over the past few years. There were some video games from Belphegor, mostly so that he could play them too. Clothes from Lussuria, since he was the only one who understood everyone’s fashion sense. Toys from Mammon, and no one commented if something was particularly expensive, because the kid deserved it. Electronics were out, since he and Squalo had bought Fran all the devices he wanted. As far as Xanxus was concerned, Levi had the right idea in purchasing them all gift cards, but Lussuria had put his foot down on that as well.

If they were doing a Secret Santa, no gift cards.

He found himself standing outside a toy store. Figuring walking through would give him some inspiration, he braced himself and walked stiffly inside.

The place was filled with screaming kids, flustered parents and overwhelmed workers. Xanxus closed his eyes briefly. "I'm going to kill them all when this freaking holiday is over," he hissed, thinking of his men.

He wandered down the aisles but nothing he saw reminded him of his youngest member. He was sorely tempted to contact Rokudo and ask for advice, but he refused to sink so low.

"Kyoko-chan! I can't reach!"

"I don't think I'm going to be much assistance either, Haru-chan."

Eyebrow arching at the familiar voices, Xanxus veered around the corner and into the next aisle. The shelves were dominated by plastic guns, darts, action figures and other toys targeted towards young boys. The brunette stood on her tiptoes, trying in vain to reach a junior chemistry set located on a high shelf.

Kyoko spotted him first. "Hello, Xanxus-san," she greeted warmly.

Haru brightened. "Hi! Do you think you could help me?"

"I'm sure there are workers who get paid to do that," he said dryly.

To her credit, she was not fazed by his rudeness. "I know, but they're all so busy and I'd hate to bother them for a trivial matter. Please?"

Grunting, he went over and reached up, easily removing the box and thrusting it to the girl. Haru beamed. "Thank you, Xanxus-san!"

"What brings you here?" asked Kyoko curiously.

"Probably the same thing that brought you here." The sound of squeaking wheels rolling towards them caused him to glance over his shoulder. Tsuna looked surprised to see him for a moment before his usual smile appeared. Xanxus stared at the cart he pushed, which was loaded with a variety of toys and electronics. "What the hell is all that?"

"Christmas presents," replied Tsuna. "What? Too much?"

"Yes."

"I don't think we have enough," voiced Haru, moving over and placing the chemistry set inside the cart.

Kyoko nodded. "We haven't found anything to put in their stockings."

Xanxus snorted. "Whatever. You're fueling the indulgences of the small trash. That'll bite you in the butt later."

Tsuna leaned against the handle of the cart with a slight smile. "What are you doing here, then?"

"Don't give me that idiotic look," said Xanxus in irritation. "The scum want to do a freaking Secret Santa."

"If you don't want to do it, can't you just tell them so?"

"Shut up."

That was all he could say, really, to the knowing glint that shone in Decimo's brown eyes.

Tsuna laughed softly. Haru tilted her head to the side. "Are you shopping for Fran-chan?" she asked.

"Unfortunately."

"Having trouble finding something to get him?" asked Kyoko sympathetically.

"Of course I am," Xanxus snapped. "The kid doesn't _do_ anything. He doesn't have any interests, any passions. What the hell am I supposed to give a walking blank slate like him?"

"But he does have a passion."

Xanxus turned to glare at Tsuna. "Tell me or I'll shoot you."

Tsuna shook his head in amusement. "Xanxus, Fran's passion is the Varia."

"As well as it should be. That doesn't—"

"No," interrupted Tsuna patiently. "It's not his duty, or his obligation. Like it isn't for the rest of you. You're the Varia because you _want_ to be. Fran is there because he enjoys being with you guys. I've seen it. His insults are his way of showing admiration and affection. The same as how Squalo shows his concern with his yelling and you—"

"If you want to continue living, don't finish that sentence."

Tsuna flushed slightly. "My point is that Fran has been given the perfect present already. Being accepted by you and the others. Whatever you get him, he'll be happy with—in his own way, of course."

Haru clapped her hands. "Well said, Tsuna-san!"

Xanxus pursed his lips for a moment. "I didn't agree to hire sentimental trash," he finally grumbled.

Tsuna smiled. "I think you're a bit too late on that one. You're all sentimental, in your violent and rough way."

The only reason he wasn't shot on the spot was because Xanxus was restraining himself in respect to the two females present. Not because he could grudgingly admit that Sawada had a point.

…

Lips tracing the rim of his wine glass, Xanxus leaned back in his chair and watched idly as his men exchanged gifts. There was the usual griping, insulting and dismissive gestures, and he took particular notice to the hidden thanks and gruff affection that hid behind the words. With the exception of Lussuria, of course, who had no problems declaring his feelings.

 _Damn. I did hire sentimental trash,_ he thought moodily.

Squalo was his Secret Santa, and he had given him an engraved wine glass with the order that it better not be shattered against a wall for at least six months. Xanxus lifted the rectangular box that sat beside him.

"Here," he grunted, throwing at the thirteen-year-old sitting on the floor in front of the tree.

Fran caught it with quick hands and he stared at it for a moment.

"Go on," urged Lussuria. "Open it, hon."

The teal-haired boy obeyed, lifting up the lid and pushing aside the tissue paper resting on top. His eyes grew wide at the article of clothing inside.

"Ushishishi," cackled Belphegor. "Froggy gets to dress like the big boys now."

Fran held up a black and tan jacket that had the Varia symbol sewn on the right breast. The material was sleek and smooth under his touch. "How come Bel-sempai has a dozen of these?" he asked.

"Because I'm a prince and I get more than you," sang Belphegor.

"I've got many a rebuttal for that remark," said Fran.

"Go ahead and pick one. You'll get skewered no matter what."

"There's one more thing, small trash," intervened Xanxus. "Shut up and open it."

Curious, Fran looked once more into the package. His heart froze for a brief moment at the small black jewelry box that had been nestled under the material. He lifted it up and opened it with trembling fingers. An indigo Varia Mist ring sparkled at him, and when he held it out to inspect it further, he found his name engraved on the inside of the silver band.

Xanxus took immediate note of the harsh blinking and odd expression. "Don't you freaking start to cry," he ordered, pointing threateningly at the boy. "I swear, one tear and I'll knock your head off."

"That's so sweet!" cooed Lussuria.

"Well, to get any gift from Boss is an honour, never mind this kind of gift," sniffed Levi.

"Put it on, squirt," said Mammon.

Fran slipped the Varia Mist ring onto his finger, trying to contain his emotions, which were rarely ever strong. His chest was oddly tight and there was a lump in his throat. The uniform was one thing, but the Varia ring was a symbol. It meant that he was part of the elitist of the elite. It meant he was part of them.

A smile curled across his face, his chest loosening slightly. He certainly could not cry, for none of them would ever let him forget it. "Thank you, Xanxus," he said sincerely.

Xanxus huffed. "Better be. Took that damn jeweller forever to whip that up," he said, trying to ignore the twinges of contentment he felt from the ridiculously happy expression on the boy's face.

"I think I found something to play hide-and-seek with," said Belphegor with a sly smirk.

Fran rolled his eyes. "Your hiding places suck. You always put Captain's hair conditioner in the same spot."

 _"I knew it!"_ bellowed Squalo. "You rotten twerp!"

Belphegor tried to climb over the back of the couch to escape but was not quick enough. Squalo grabbed him by the waist and dragged him to the floor, pinning him down. "I'm gonna smack you into next week!" snapped Squalo, digging his knee into the prince's back.

"Not if I stab you first," retorted Belphegor. He managed to get himself out from underneath the swordsman and the two fell in a wrestling match on the hardwood floor. Fran quickly materialized in between Mammon and Lussuria on the couch to avoid being dragged into the fray.

Xanxus watched his men for a moment. Levi had his head resting back against the couch but the way his head was tilted showed that he was listening to Lussuria's cheerful nattering. A grinning Squalo had Belphegor in a headlock. The blonde was trying to look irritated but there was a smirk on his lips. Mammon was slouched against the cushions, his hood pulled over his face as always. But the slight smile on his face indicated his amusement with the tussling pair. Fran was staring at his new ring with an awed, delighted expression.

The teal-haired boy suddenly looked over, catching Xanxus' eye. He could not contain the grin from stretching out and Xanxus clicked his tongue.

Damn. He really did love these losers.


	7. Midnight Snow

Bare feet padding against the cold hardwood floor, I-Pin yawned softly as she made her way from the bathroom back to her bedroom. As she walked past the large bay window, she took a glance outside. She stumbled to a halt, eyes wide with awe. To make sure she wasn't imagining things in her half-asleep state she rubbed at her eyes.

But it was real. It was snowing.

Grinning widely at the fat fluffy flakes that fell from the dark sky, illuminated by the silver light of the stars and moon, I-Pin turned on her heel and hurried in the opposite direction from her room. Her feet barely touched the floor as she moved, soundless and quick like Fon had taught her.

She reached the wing that housed Tsuna and his Guardians. She opened up the door to her best friend's bedroom and crossed the carpet. She crouched beside his bed, hands moving to shake the snoring form. "Lambo! Lambo, wake up!"

"Wassamatter?" he slurred, green eyes cracking open.

"It's snowing!" she informed excitedly.

"Oh…that's nice," he mumbled, head sinking back into his pillow.

I-Pin pouted. "No, you have to look at it! It's pretty!" She stood up and went over to the window. She pulled the drapes back and pressed her face against the glass. There was a thin layer of snow building on the ground.

With a defeated sigh, Lambo pushed himself up and ran a hand through his messy curly hair. He trudged over to the window and stared at the falling snowflakes, a grin forming on his features. "The first snow of the Christmas season."

I-Pin nodded happily. "If we're lucky it'll keep snowing until there's lots and lots."

Lambo glanced at her. "How am I supposed to sleep now when I'm all excited to play in the snow?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. But I got so excited myself that I had to share it with someone." She paused as an idea struck her. "You know…maybe we don't have to wait until morning to play in the snow."

Ears perked in interest, Lambo said, "I'm listening."

"It's a midnight snowfall!" I-Pin stretched out her arms. "I've never played in midnight snow before. Since we're not going to be able to sleep anyway, why don't we have some fun?"

Lambo grinned. "Now that's what I call an idea. Let's go."

The pair went into the hall and moved as silently as they could, a feat which was not so easy for Lambo as it was for I-Pin. Reaching the foyer, Lambo went to the coat closet and removed their jackets and mittens. I-Pin wrestled into her dark red coat as she shoved her feet into her boots. Lambo was quick to follow her and they disarmed the security system so they could go outside without setting off the alarms.

"Hopefully we'll get some decent snow days this year," said Lambo, spinning through the snow and kicking up clouds of white dust.

"Never mind the snow days. I want a White Christmas." I-Pin bent down and gathered some snow into her black mittens. She pushed her fingers into it, enjoying the chill that seeped through the material.

Lambo dropped to the ground and lay flat on his back. He moved his arms and legs up and down so that he could form a snow angel. I-Pin joined him in the activity and it soon became a contest of who could make the most.

"All right, all right," panted Lambo ten minutes later, sprawled in his half-finished snow angel. "My arms hurt."

I-Pin grinned teasingly at him. "If you stopped playing so many video games and started doing more physical activity, you wouldn't be out of energy so quickly."

"Shut up. Not all of us can be ninjas."

She set her hands on her hips. "That's not even close to what I practice."

"I know. But you move like one."

"I need some way to sneak snacks from the kitchen when I'm not supposed to," replied I-Pin. She looked around the snow-covered landscape. She flinched slightly at the dozens of snow angels imprinted in the snow. "Uh…guess we can't really cover our tracks with this one."

"Maybe it'll snow harder and cover them," said Lambo optimistically. “Let’s go back inside. I’m tired.”

They went to the door and Lambo pulled on the handle. But it remained firmly shut. “We’re locked out,” said Lambo in disbelief. “What the heck?”

“Automatic locking feature,” recalled I-Pin with a groan. “We turned off the alarm but not the automatic locking feature.”

Lambo's shoulders slumped in dismay. "Oops. Guess we're going to have find someone to let us in." A sharp gust blew over them and he shivered. "Let me tell you, I'm not spending all night out here." He picked up a handful of snow and threw it at his best friend. "You and your stupid ideas."

I-Pin retaliated by throwing snow into his face. "You don't get to play that card. I've gone along with so many of your dumb schemes I sometimes wonder what's wrong with me."

"Probably the same things that are wrong with me," quipped Lambo.

They wandered down the steps, lazily walking in circles through the snow. Their flesh was numbed by the frigid wind but it was not an entirely unpleasant sensation. I-Pin stared up at the night sky, smiling at the snowflakes that fell softly to her face. She stuck out her tongue and caught some in her mouth.

"It's really peaceful out here," remarked Lambo. “But we better figure out how to get inside. I’m cold.”

"Maybe there's someone still up. We have plenty of insomniacs in our family."

The two circled the mansion, peering through the windows in hopes of finding someone that could assist them.

"Oh…no," whimpered Lambo when they spotted a figure through the kitchen windows. Reborn stood with his back to them, in a pair of black silk pajamas. From the way he hovered near the counter, there was no doubt that he was making a cup of coffee. "I changed my mind. I want to spend the night out here."

"I'd rather not freeze to death," replied I-Pin. She approached the window and rapped on the glass lightly with her knuckles.

Reborn whirled around instantly, his dark eyes sharp. He stared at the two kids peering at him through the glass for a moment before a severe frown dominated his features. He gave his head a jerk, indicating for the pair to move to the front entrance.

"Idiots," he growled when the two scampered off. He left the coffee machine to continue percolating and reached the entrance hall with quick strides. He took once look at the alarm panel and his scowl only deepened when he found it disarmed.

He yanked open the door and Lambo and I-Pin scurried in, shivering and damp with melted snow. They knew better than to just take off so they stood in front of the hitman with nervous expressions.

"What do you think you're doing outside, alone, at one in the morning?" Reborn snapped.

"Sorry," said I-Pin. "I saw the snow and woke Lambo up. I thought we could play in it for a bit. But we forgot to dismantle the automatic locking feature.”

"You shouldn’t have messed with the alarm system to begin with and you shouldn't have been outside in the first place. Especially without the proper clothing on. Are you both stupid?"

"We're sorry," said Lambo in a soft voice.

"Oh, you're not sorry yet. You will be once I figure out the perfect punishment for this one."

"Yes, Reborn," the two kids said obediently.

“May we please have some hot chocolate?” added I-Pin hopefully.

Reborn reached out and pinched her nose, which he noted with inward concern that it was cold to the touch. "Do you think you deserve hot chocolate?"

"No, but I'm hoping you'll take pity," she mumbled.

Reborn smirked. "I don't take pity. But Tsuna will not be happy if I leave you to freeze, so I'll make an exception. Get your butts upstairs and change first."

"Thank you, Reborn," they said happily. They rushed for the stairs, neither able to escape a smack to the head, and Reborn watched them go. Shaking his head, he activated the alarm panel and went back to the kitchen, a slight smile on his lips.

 _Morons,_ he thought fondly.


	8. Lambo's Perfect Gift

A sleek silver and black limo rolled up to the slush-strewn curb. A few shoppers, decked out in oversized coats and lugging Christmas packages, paused on the frozen cement to see who would emerge from the luxurious vehicle. They were all a bit surprised to see a child climb out, dressed in a cow-print winter jacket and black earmuffs, and followed by a tall teen in a long green coat. But they did not dwell much on it, for there were plenty of rich kids in the area, and they continued on their way, curiosity satisfied.

Lambo kept the limo's door slightly open so that he could converse with the person in the driver's seat. "I'm going to need more than two hours," he was insisting. "How about four?"

"I am not leaving you here for four hours!" snapped Gokudera, twisting slightly so he could glare at the thirteen-year-old.

"How about three?" Futa spoke up. "I'll be with him, Haya-nii."

"That doesn't provide as much comfort as you want it to," said Gokudera bluntly. "Lambo is a horrible influence. I'd like to get to you before the cops."

"Haya-nii, I swear, I'll behave," pleaded Lambo. "I won't start any fights and I'll stick with Futa. I really need all the time I can get searching for I-Pin's present."

Gokudera's firm expression softened slightly. "Lambo, you're overthinking this. I-Pin is going to be happy with whatever you get her. It's the thought that counts."

Lambo managed to keep from making a face. _How many times have I heard that one?_ "I know. But this year I want to give my best effort. I want to get her something special."

Gokudera pursed his lips together and studied the two teens intently. Lambo clasped his hands together and Futa mouthed, 'Please'. Relenting, the Storm Guardian let out a huff of breath. "Three hours," he agreed. "But in precisely three hours, you will be in this very spot, not a minute later. You do not leave each other's side. And under no circumstance do you leave this mall. Am I understood?"

"Hai," the two chorused. Lambo beamed and added, "Thanks, Haya-nii."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Lambo shut the door of the limo and the two teens strode for the mall entrance. They stepped through the double glass doors and entered the heavily-decorated space. Futa peeked up at the ceiling, where large crystal ornaments and sparkling snowflakes hung from fortified strings. "They certainly don't spare any expense."

"Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury." Lambo felt the pocket of his coat and could feel the shape of his wallet. "And I've no idea where to start."

Futa shrugged off his coat, the mall's heating system causing him to sweat a bit. He slung the winter clothing over his shoulder and glanced at the first set of stores that were on either side of them. "Well, what did you get her in previous years?"

Lambo squinted as he tried to coax his memory. "Um…well, when we were little we would just do stuff like candy and coloured pictures. But for the past few Christmases I've gotten her the complete set of her favourite television series, a charm bracelet and some books. But I want to do something different."

"Well, we could start by just walking around," suggested Futa. "That's the best way to get inspiration."

"Okay, sounds good."

The teens began strolling through the mall. Each individual store they passed had their own unique Christmas decorations, but the mall itself had twinkling lights and fake snow scattered about. Around the corner was a massive Meet Santa Claus display. Red carpet marked the way to the elaborate golden throne and valet ropes prevented children from stumbling out of the long line. There was a sleigh and reindeer set up on one end and there was a massive Christmas tree with wrapped boxes behind the throne. The big man himself was sitting in the throne, chortling joyfully and handing out candy canes.

Futa grinned. "Maybe Santa can help you."

"I don't think I was good enough this year," joked Lambo. He paused when he spotted a calendar store up ahead. "Let's stop in there."

They entered the store, where they were greeted by racks of differently themed calendars, pocket books and a small selection of board games. Lambo walked over to the quote-themed calendars and inspected them. "Is a calendar too dorky?" he asked, glancing at one that featured friendship quotes.

"No, of course not," replied Futa. "It's very practical."

Lambo shot him a weary look. "I don't want a _practical_ gift."

"What's wrong with a calendar?" he asked, offended.

Lambo paused, an inspirational quote calendar in hand, and his green eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You got someone a calendar, didn't you?"

Futa crossed his arms, a slight pout on his lips. "No comment."

Grinning, Lambo set the glossy calendar back on the rack. "Well, in any case, I think I'm going to get her something else."

They walked out of the store and continued down the corridor. Lambo shifted his gaze to the taller teen. "Is it me who gets the calendar?"

Futa gave him a flick to the forehead. "I said no comment."

They ended up doing a lap of the mall, with a few more stops that didn't give Lambo any particular flash of creativity. When they got back to where they started, Futa scratched the back of his neck idly. "Nothing?"

"Nothing," said Lambo moodily.

"Let's see if I can help you out. What about clothes?"

Lambo snorted. "Yeah, I don't think so. I don't know her clothing size. I don't even know what her style is, if she has one."

"That's okay. We're eliminating options, at least. Books?"

"I don't know what she's read and what she hasn't."

"You could always get a gift card."

"If anything, that's going to be my last resort," decided Lambo.

Futa hummed in thought. "Hmm. What about a bracelet or something?"

"She's not much of a jewelry person and I gave her that charm bracelet," replied Lambo, brow creasing in frustration. "This is hard. It seemed so easy last year."

"Haya-nii is right. You're overthinking this," said Futa, setting a reassuring hand on Lambo's shoulder. "You'll find something."

After another few minutes of walking, Futa pointed out a window display of store, which showcased elegant picture frames. "How about that? You can put a picture of the two of you in there."

Lambo cocked his head the side, the gears in his mind turning slowly as he regarded the pretty frame. "Hey…I think I have an idea!"

Futa grinned. "I knew you would. What is it?"

"Instead of a picture frame, what about a scrapbook?" asked Lambo eagerly. "I could fill it with a bunch of different pictures! Is there a craft store in this place?"

"It's a little bit down that way," said Futa, indicating the direction. "Let's hit it. We've got just under two hours."

"All the glitter!" whooped Lambo, charging down the corridor.

Futa hurried after him. “Maybe not _all_ the glitter!”

…

Christmas morning arrived and the residents of Vongola Mansion gathered in the drawing room for the opening of presents. Haru, Kyoko, Chrome and Bianchi were crowded together on the loveseat, laughing and talking. Tsuna and the other Guardians held court on the sectional and Shamal was lounging in the recliner, a glass of wine held in his hand. His eyes were half-lidded, but his concentration was on Futa, who was chattering cheerfully. At the back corner of the room was Reborn, leaning casually against the wall. His fedora was tilted over his face, his dark eyes taking in everyone in amusement.

Lambo was sitting beside Mukuro on the sectional, playing with his fingers. He had yet to give I-Pin his gift, though no one really noticed in the chaos that was their family. Futa knew, of course, and would cast Lambo pointed glances when there was a break in his conversation with Shamal. Not sure why he was feeling so nervous, Lambo thought of his gift stuffed underneath the couch, where he had put it so that he could give it to I-Pin at the very end of present opening.

_Don't be a dork. You know she won't make fun of you for making a scrapbook. Even Futa said it was a really good idea._

Taking a quick breath, Lambo bent over and dragged the wrapped present out from his hiding place. Mukuro stared at it in bewilderment. "What's that?"

"It's for I-Pin," he replied, face flushing slightly. "I wanted to give it to her last, so I kept it here."

"Well, hurry up and give it to her before she thinks you forgot." Mukuro gave the boy a light tap to his behind, nudging him forwards.

Lambo went over to where I-Pin was sitting in the middle of the wrapping paper-covered floor. Conscious of the curious stares he was now getting, he plopped down beside his best friend and proffered his gift. "I didn't forget."

I-Pin looked up from her new novel, the latest installment in her favourite series, in surprise. She looked at the gift and smiled. She set her book down and accepted the package. "For a second, I thought you _had_ forgotten."

"Not this year." Lambo grinned crookedly. "Thanks for the glow-in-the-dark wall stickers, by the way. I'm so gonna deck out my room."

"No problem." I-Pin removed the blue snowman wrapping paper and lifted out a dark red scrapbook. On the cover was piece of purple construction paper glued to the surface with a border of red ribbon. On the paper, in black ink, were the words, _I-Pin's Scrapbook._

"Couldn't think of a better title," he muttered, embarrassed.

Eyes wide, I-Pin opened the scrapbook. On the very first page was a picture of all the members of the Vongola residence. Underneath the photo, in the same ink, read _The ones who saved us._

She continued flipping through the pages, which were decorated with ribbon, glitter, bows, gem stickers and humours stickers, like cows and frogs. There was one picture per page, each accompanied with a written memory that was related to the photo. There were pictures of her with the girls, her with their siblings, her with Fran, Futa and Lambo, and with other members of their extended family.

But most of the pictures consisted of just her with her best friend. Her favourite photo was in the scrapbook—it was taken at the local ice rink a few years ago. She was standing straight and her feet perfectly aligned for skating. She was holding Lambo’s hands, the boy having one leg sticking out in the air as he was about to fall. Her head was thrown back, mouth wide open in laughter. Lambo's face was a mix of frustration and annoyance.

She read the description beneath the photo.

_The time you tried to teach me how to ice skate and I failed miserably. By the end you were laughing so hard you couldn’t stand and I was the one who had to help you back to the bench._

"Can you say something?" asked Lambo nervously.

"Lambo, did you make this?" I-Pin breathed, hands gently skimming the edge of the photograph.

"Yeah. Do you like it?"

"I love it!" She looked up, eyes bright and gleaming. "What gave you the idea to do this?"

"I wanted to do something different," muttered Lambo. "Something special. I know I'm not the easiest person to get along with—"

"Amen," called Gokudera.

"—and that I'm really stubborn—"

"Amen!" concurred Shamal.

"—and that I'm a pain in the butt—"

"Amen," agreed Reborn.

Exasperated, Lambo grabbed three pieces of balled-up wrapping paper. "Shut _up_!" he wailed, chucking them at the interrupters.

"All right," interjected Tsuna, a warm smile on his face. "Let him speak."

"Thank you," huffed Lambo. He turned back to I-Pin and continued on. "But you put up with me, even when I'm being super unreasonable and snappy. You're really great and I don't think I appreciate you enough. So I wanted to do this, to say thanks for being my best friend."

Blinking back sudden tears, a touched I-Pin set the scrapbook down and leaned forwards, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "And thanks for being mine," she whispered.

Nearly melting from the adorable scene in front of him, Tsuna quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a picture amongst the chorus of affectionate, adoring coos from the girls.

It would be the perfect addition to I-Pin's scrapbook.


	9. The Way the Christmas Cookie Crumbles

Bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor, Fran shuffled down the hallway towards the living room. A passing glance at the grandfather clock positioned beside the entryway told him that it was passed noon. Considering no one had burst into his room, shouting curses and threating to beat him within an inch of his life, he figured that there was nothing particular happening that day.

Yawning softly, he stepped into the living room, where he found Belphegor sitting on the couch, a plastic container in hand. Blinking, he squinted at the food the young adult was shovelling into his mouth. When he realized the blonde was stuffing Christmas-tree shaped cookies into his mouth, he shouted, _"Don't eat those!"_

It was rare for Fran to ever raise his voice and when he did there was normally a good reason for it. Belphegor wasted no time in flinging the plastic container as far away from him as possible and bent over the back of couch, hacking chewed-up clumps of cookie to the floor.

"Who messed with them?" he rasped, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. "I better not need to have my stomach pumped again!"

Fran surveyed the cookies that flew out of the plastic container. There were only three sugar cookies left out of the two dozen Lussuria had baked the previous night. "Didn't you read the note?"

"There wasn't a note!" Belphegor snapped.

"There should have been. Luss made those for the Christmas party tonight. I found the container last night and the only reason I didn't eat any was because there was a note that vividly painted a picture of what would happen to me if I even touched them.”

Blinking, Belphegor slouched over the edge of the couch, the almost twenty-four cookies he had consumed suddenly not feeling so good in his stomach. "Damn," he muttered. "This is bull. There wasn’t a note! How was I supposed to know?”

Fran slipped out of the room and returned a minute later, holding a small square piece of paper. Belphegor snatched it out of his hand and read it intently. Lussuria's neat scrawl dominated the lines and did indeed promise to inflict severe injury.

"It must have fallen off. That's why you didn't see it," spoke Fran.

Belphegor scowled and flung the note to the side. "Do you think I can skewer him before he bashes my face in?"

"You can try. I doubt you'll succeed." Fran went over and picked up the plastic container. "Looks like your Christmas present this year is going to be a broken body.”

"Where is he now?" demanded Belphegor, the gears in his brain slowly turning.

"How should I know? I just got up."

"Clean up," the blonde ordered. "I'll be right back."

Before Fran could argue, he sped out of the living room. Shaking his head, the fourteen-year-old decided he was too lazy to put up a fight and started cleaning up the broken cookies. He went into the kitchen, dumping the pieces into the trash and setting the container on the counter. He grabbed a paper towel and used it to clean up the chewed cookie Belphegor had hacked up.

Just as he was finishing Belphegor came to retrieve him. His car keys dangled from his finger and he was wearing his leather jacket and black buckle boots. "Come on," he snapped. "We're gonna fix this."

"We?" repeated Fran, arching an eyebrow. "I didn't do anything."

"Shut up, you don't have a choice. You're gonna be my Christmas elf."

"Whatever," he muttered. It wasn't like he had anything better to do, anyways. "Let me get dressed—"

"We don't have time for that! Who knows when he'll be back?" Belphegor grabbed Fran roughly by the arm and dragged him down the hall and towards the front door.

"I am not going out like this," snapped Fran, shifting out of Belphegor's grip. "There's snow on the ground, loser."

"You're a pain in the rear, you know that?" Belphegor scowled. He lunged forwards and grabbed Fran by the waist. Hoisting the teen over his shoulder, he strode out of the mansion and down the salt-strewn driveway.

Fran slapped Belphegor's back in irritation. "You're such a jerk. I hope Luss knocks a few teeth out."

Ignoring him, Belphegor opened the back door of his red sports car and tossed the boy inside. Huffing, Fran buckled up and watched with a frown as Belphegor climbed into the driver's seat and started the car up.

"Where are we going?"

"To the grocery store," answered Belphegor, manoeuvring his vehicle down the driveway and onto the road.

Fran arched an eyebrow. "I don’t know how to make cookies from scratch.”

"Neither do I. That’s why we’re gonna buy premade sugar cookies and bake those," countered Belphegor. "Does he have any icing and sprinkles left?"

"Yeah, he should. He bought more than enough.”

"Then we’re going to freaking do this.”

They rolled into the parking lot of the grocery store a few minutes later. Fran glanced out the window, staring at the mounds of sparkling white snow and patches of ice. Sighing softly, he reluctantly climbed out after Belphegor parked, his red-and-black plaid pajama bottoms and dark red, oversized long-sleeved sleep shirt offering little protection against the bitter wind.

His feet were completely bare since Belphegor didn't let him grab his shoes. He picked his way across the frosty cement, pricks of pain shooting through his flesh with every cautious step. Belphegor glanced over his shoulder and frowned slightly. "Where are your shoes, dork?"

"I don't know, ask the guy who manhandled me out of the house," snapped Fran.

"Don't know who that is," retorted Belphegor. He paused and bent down slightly. "Get on before you get frostbite, Froggy."

Fran launched himself onto the blonde's back, causing him to stumble a few steps with a grunt. Straightening, Belphegor looped his hands under Fran's knees as the teen wrapped his arms around Belphegor's neck.

"Did I break something, old geezer?" Fran asked innocently.

"Do I look like Old Man Levi to you?" snorted Belphegor.

He entered the grocery store, which was surprisingly not so busy, considering it was Christmas Eve. Fran's feet buzzed with warmth and he wiggled his toes to work out the numbness. Belphegor went over to the frozen section, not bothering to set Fran down.

"You know Luss is going to notice the difference, right?" asked Fran, peering over Belphegor's head at the packets of cookie dough, some wrapped in tubes and some precut.

"Well, he won't be eating any until the party, so at least he won't notice until then." Belphegor picked a red-and-green pack of sugar cookie dough, cut into the shapes of Christmas trees. He read the baking directions. "Twelve cookies, bake for fifteen to twenty minutes.”

"I think that'll work."

Grabbing another package, Belphegor went over to the checkout and paid for his items. Fran held onto them as they crossed the parking lot once more. He climbed off Belphegor's back and clambered into the backseat.

"Here's hoping Luss isn't home yet."

Silently agreeing, Belphegor sped home. The two raced into the mansion, which was just as quiet as they had left it. "Let's hurry up and do this," hissed Belphegor.

They entered the kitchen and Belphegor turned the oven to the highest setting. Fran tore open the packages and arranged the Christmas tree-shaped cookie dough onto two trays. "We can stick them in now, but they might have to cook for a bit longer." He then caught sight of the temperature Belphegor had set the oven to and amended, "Never mind."

Belphegor grabbed the trays and slipped them onto the oven racks. "Get the icing and crap out."

Fran hustled over to the pantry and dragged out the red plastic container of green frosting and glass shakers of Christmas-themed sprinkles. Belphegor tapped his foot impatiently, eyes glued on the oven. "How long is it gonna take for this thing to heat up?"

"I dunno, it's not like I spend any more time in here than you do," replied Fran.

Since Belphegor had cranked up the heat, it didn't take long for the cookies to completely cook. Fran slipped on an oven mitt and pulled the racks out one by one. "We're going to have to wait for them to cool before we can decorate them."

"Why?" demanded Belphegor.

"Because the icing will melt if you put it on when the cookies are hot."

"Why the hell does that matter?"

“I don’t know. I just hear Luss going on about it sometimes.”

"I'll ice them, you sprinkle."

"Typical Varia business," quipped Fran, grabbing a shaker of sprinkles.

Belphegor, to his credit, was being as neat as he could as he applied the green frosting. There were no globs and none spilled over the edge of the cookie. Fran added a thin layer of sprinkles to each iced cookie and when he went to decorate one close to the edge of the tray his wrist accidentally touched the burning metal.

 _"Ow!"_ he yelped in surprise, dropping the sprinkles. It clattered to the counter and the top popped off, sprinkles spraying everywhere. Ignoring Belphegor's curse, he raced over to the sink and turned on the cold water. He stuck his burnt flesh under the stream.

"You're cleaning this up," grumbled Belphegor as he finished icing the cookies.

"Whatever." Fran reached for the tap and his hand stilled when he suddenly sensed a rapidly approaching presence. "Someone’s—"

"Well, well, well. What have we here?"

"Coming," finished Fran softly.

Belphegor slowly looked over his shoulder. His lips thinned into a nervous line when he found Lussuria leaning against the doorframe, a dangerous aura surrounding him. "Crap."

For a moment, the Sun Varia didn't say anything. He studied the kitchen thoroughly, from his empty plastic container to the freshly constructed cookies. Fran turned off the water and stepped away from the sink. The air crackled with tension as Fran and Belphegor waited for Lussuria to speak.

"I thought I left strict instructions to leave my cookies alone," he said softly, danger rumbling beneath his tone.

Belphegor glared at the floor. Fran watched as his hands formed fists and his posture stiffened and the teal-haired child knew then that he could not let Belphegor take the full blame. Not on Christmas.

"We're sorry," he spoke, causing Belphegor to look at him in hidden surprise. "We didn't see the note until after we ate them. We were trying to cover it up by replacing your cookies with ours."

Lussuria arched an eyebrow. "With store bought cookie dough? Have you no respect?"

"Sorry," Belphegor muttered.

Clicking his tongue, Lussuria moved into the kitchen to inspect the cookies the two had prepared. "Suppose we'll keep these for the others. No sense in wasting them."

Belphegor exchanged a quick glance with Fran. "So…you're not mad?" he asked slowly.

Lussuria smiled slightly. "I figured something like this would happen. Can't having anything nice around with you people. But it does seem like it was an accident, so you’re forgiven. You will have to assist me in making a new batch, however.”

"We can do that," said Fran, relieved.

"Sure," agreed Belphegor. Though he made it a rule not to do such menial household tasks, he figured he could make an exception.

Satisfied, Lussuria nodded. "Wonderful. Bel-chan, put your cookies into a different container. Fran-chan, go get dressed. If Xan-chan comes home and catches you still in your pajamas, he's going to have a fit."

"Hai."

Lussuria went over to the pantry to gather the ingredients they would need. Belphegor set a hand on Fran's shoulder before he could head out of the kitchen. "Thanks, Froggy,” he said in a low voice.

Fran looked at him with a slight smile. "Eh, don’t mention it. We’re always getting into trouble together. Why should Christmas be any different?"

Grinning, Belphegor bumped the teen’s shoulder with his. "True.”

"Get those tushes moving," sang Lussuria. "Before I use my wooden spoon on them."

"Hai!"


	10. Home For the Holidays

Wrapping his dark green jacket tightly around his slim frame, Fran shuffled across the salt-strewn path from the student dormitories to the curb, where Lambo and I-Pin were sitting, bundled up in their winter gear and staring at the sky.

"What are you doing?" he asked, having to raise his voice in order to be heard over the roaring wind.

Lambo glanced up, eyes squinting against the flurry of snowflakes assaulting his face. "Looking to see if the weather will die down!"

"Please tell me you're kidding," said Fran flatly. He tilted his chin to peer up at the dark sky, hardly visible through the heavy snowstorm. "It's been like this for days.”

"We know, but we can hope, can't we?" asked I-Pin stubbornly, pulling her knees up to her chest and staring moodily at the frozen asphalt.

The two eighteen-year-olds and the nineteen-year-old lingered for a moment more in the frigid weather before reluctantly making their way back inside their dorm. They were immediately bathed in warmth when they crossed through the lobby. They used their resident cards to get passed the security turnstiles and piled into the first available elevator. They got off on the seventh floor, where all three lived, and went straight for the student lounge.

The rectangular space was empty, with most of the students gone for the holidays or bundled up in their rooms. Fran collapsed on the couch with Lambo while I-Pin went to lean against the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring at the glittering world below.

"This sucks," she said, summing up all of their thoughts.

“Where's Futa?" wondered Lambo, glancing at his best friend. "I thought we were meeting here.”

"He probably got caught up in his work,” she answered. “I think he spent most of today in the library, getting a head start on next semester’s reading.”

“Nerd.” Lambo checked his watch. "All right, but if he's not here soon I'm calling without him."

They only needed to wait five more minutes for the sandy-haired young adult to arrive. The twenty-one-year-old brushed the snow from his coat and set his laptop bag next to the couch. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized, shrugging off his coat. "I got caught up."

"It's okay," assured I-Pin. "We figured.”

They fell into a beat of silence for a moment before Lambo said bitterly, "This is so depressing. I don't want to spend Christmas at _school._ "

"Hey, at least we're together," said Futa, moving over and ruffling Lambo's hair fondly. "And we're about to call them now. It's not like we're isolated."

The four University of Bologna students had been caught off guard by the snowstorm that struck a few days ago. The weather reports didn't predict the storm to be of such a strong magnitude and certainly not to last as long as it did. But when the snow raged on, Tsuna called his little siblings on the twenty-third with strict instructions not to attempt to drive home for Christmas. Fran got a similar call from Squalo, though he was left with a much more vivid picture of what Xanxus would do to him if he tried to venture out in such dangerous weather.

It was eleven o'clock on Christmas Eve, which meant that the Vongola annual holiday party had finished an hour ago. Lambo fished out his cell phone and I-Pin and Futa gathered around him as he dialled. Fran relaxed back on the couch, his ever-present frog hood falling slightly over his eyes.

"Hello?"

Lambo smiled brightly. "Hi, Haru-chan!"

"Hi," exclaimed Futa and I-Pin, leaning over Lambo's shoulders.

"Yo," called Fran.

"Guys!" said Haru in delight. "How are you? Wait, hold on—Kyoko-chan! It's the kids!"

There was the sound of shuffling and soon Kyoko's voice joined the line. "We missed you tonight!"

"We missed you too," said I-Pin feelingly.

"Did we miss anything?" asked Futa.

"No, not really. Just the usual shenanigans. Actually, I think it was calmer because you _weren't_ here."

"I call bull," spoke Fran, not opening his eyes. "There's no such thing as calm when you have Xanxus in the room."

The two girls giggled. "Fair enough. So how have you been? You're not too lonely, are you?" asked Haru in concern.

"No. In fact, it's a miracle we haven't gotten on each other's nerves yet," joked Lambo.

"But we wish we could be at home," said Futa with a wistful sigh. "This is one year I could do without a White Christmas."

"We wish you were here too," said Kyoko softly. "But we'll see you soon, and we'll have our own Christmas when we do."

"Can't wait," said I-Pin with a smile.

"Now, we'd start asking about school, but we think the guys will give a full interrogation of that," said Haru with a laugh. "They're all in the living room refusing to even tackle the mess that was made tonight. We'll pass it over to them, shall we?"

It took a minute and there was the sound of rustling until the sounds of Tsuna and his Guardians filtered through Lambo's phone. "Tsuna-kun!" called Kyoko. "It's the kids!"

The phone was passed off and there was the brief sound of clicking as Tsuna set the phone on speaker. "Hey, guys!" he said cheerfully. "I was hoping you'd call."

"Where are you calling from?" asked Hibari suspiciously.

"From Futa's car, barrelling a hundred and eighty miles down the road," said Lambo sarcastically. "And I'm at the wheel while I'm talking to you."

"Don't be smart," chided Gokudera. "Seriously, where are you?"

"At the student lounge in the dorm," answered I-Pin. "Just sitting around."

"How was the party?" asked Futa.

"Horrible," spoke Mukuro. "I am not letting Ken and Chikusa near alcohol ever again."

"Other than that incident, it was fun," piped up Chrome. "What did you guys do?"

"Reading,” said Futa.

“For school,” added Lambo, masking the disgust in his voice.

"Lambo and I played some video games," spoke I-Pin.

"I slept," said Fran.

"Come on, it's Christmas! You guys shouldn't spend it working or lying about," chided Yamamoto.

Lambo arched an eyebrow. "Take-nii, we're holed up at school and the school is closed. We're stuck in the dorms. There's nothing _but_ nothing to do."

"Oh, don’t be like that,” said Tsuna. “You guys are creative. Figure out a fun way to celebrate.”

"We're just not feeling it," admitted Lambo.

"Don't be sad!" exclaimed Ryohei. "Be EXTREMELY happy! You can't be sad on Christmas because then we'll be sad."

"He's right," said Tsuna firmly. "We wish you were here, but it's not possible with this weather. Maybe tomorrow we can make something happen. If not, promise me that the four of you will celebrate Christmas together and not just lounge about like it's another day."

"All right," said Lambo with a slight smile. "Promise."

"Promise," agreed I-Pin and Futa.

"Fran?" said Chrome pointedly when the teen didn’t respond.

"No, I have too much sleeping to do. No time for Christmas."

"Fran."

"Ugh. Fine. Nagging woman. Promise."

"I feel extremely sorry for your professors," said Mukuro with a snort. "You must be a pain to teach."

“Oh, most definitely.”

Reborn's deep voice flowed through the speakers. "Idiot cow, exam results. Now.”

Lambo glared, even though Reborn could not see him. “Why do you always pester me? Why isn’t it ever I-Pin?”

“Because she isn’t a slacker or a procrastinator.”

“I don’t even have access to my final results yet!”

“Then tell me the grades you had before you went into the exam.”

With a huff, Lambo recited the grades and, after further interrogation, was forced to admit that no, he hadn't decided on a major yet. After a few more minutes of conversing they bid goodbye, promising to call back the next day.

"That sort of made me feel better," said Lambo, putting his phone back into his pocket. He glanced out the window and heaved a sigh. "But only a little."

"Guess it's my turn."

Fran pulled out his phone and dialled the number to Varia Mansion. After a few rings Squalo answered. "Vooiii! What the hell do you want?"

"Merry Christmas to you too," returned Fran sarcastically. "Why are you so loud?"

"I have to be loud in order to be heard by you deaf morons," shot back Squalo.

"We’re not deaf. We just choose to ignore you.” Fran smirked at the annoyed noise Squalo made in response. “How was the party?"

"Crap," said Squalo instantly. "Don't know why we even bother to show up."

"For the free food?"

"Food was crap."

"The alcohol?"

"Please. Xanxus has his own winery in his damn office."

"Oi, don't talk about me behind my back, scum."

There was the sound of someone being smacked forcibly and Squalo let out a grunt. "I'm not, you crap boss _!"_ he snapped. "I'm talking to the runt."

"Give me the phone."

"Why should I?"

"Because if you don’t, I'm going shoot you."

“Whatever. See you, squirt."

"Bye. Go punch Bel-sempai in the stomach for me."

"Will do."

Squalo passed the phone off to Xanxus. "Runt."

"Hey, Boss. What're you doing?"

"Thinking about how I'm going to kill everyone in this damn place. But I'll wait until you're back before I start opening fire."

Fran felt a sharp pang in his chest and he stared at his knees, a brief but strong rush of homesickness overcoming him. "Can't wait."

There was genuine sincerity in his tone rather than his usual monotonous sarcasm. Xanxus picked up on it and said gruffly, "Well, I can. It's one less pain in the butt to deal with."

Fran smirked. "I'm sure Bel-sempai will pick up my slack."

"Whatever," snorted Xanxus.

They spoke for a little while longer before delivering their goodbyes. Before Fran hung up, Xanxus said suddenly, "Do something tomorrow. Don't spend it being a useless lump in bed. We'll see your sorry face soon enough."

"All right," said Fran softly. "Later."

He hung up and the four sat in silence, staring out the window at the thick snowfall that showed no signs of stopping.

"Well," spoke Lambo. "This sucks."

…

In the early hours of the morning Lambo woke up, groggy and exhausted. He rubbed at his green eyes and was about to roll over and fall back asleep when he happened to take a glimpse out the window. He sprang upwards with a hopeful smile and wrestled his way out of his blankets. He hurried across the carpeted floor and pressed his face against the glass, staring at the clear black sky. There wasn't a snowflake in sight and as far as he could see, the roads had been cleared.

"I-Pin!" he said, rushing over to his roommate and shaking her frantically. "Wake up!"

"What?" she groaned, cracking her eyes open and glaring reproachfully at her best friend. "Do you know what time it is?"

Lambo shot a look at the alarm clock on their shared nightstand table. "It's almost four in the morning."

"Why are you bothering me at four in the morning?"

"Because it stopped snowing!"

I-Pin blinked and sat up, staring out the window. "Yeah. So?"

Lambo gaped. "I-Pin, we can go home for Christmas!"

"Just because it stopped snowing now doesn't mean it won't start back up again," said I-Pin.

Lambo crossed his arms with a frown. "When did you become so negative?"

I-Pin rolled her eyes and lifted her cell phone from where it rested on the nightstand. She opened her weather app and started reading the reports. "I knew it," she said after a moment, disappointment welling inside her. "It says _we_ won't be getting any more snow, but a storm is going to start in our hometown around eight.”

The raven-haired teen thought intently. "We're four hours away. We'll just make it."

I-Pin bit her lip, torn. "They'll probably kill us for driving so late."

"Probably. But hey, at least we'll be there with them."

That was all the convincing I-Pin needed. "I'll call Futa and Fran. You start packing our stuff. We'll leave in ten."

Lambo moved in a whirlwind of activity, grabbing their suitcases and throwing a multitude of clothes, textbooks and toiletries inside. He finished packing by the time I-Pin got off the phone. "Fran's going to meet us downstairs and Futa is going to pick us up there."

The two got dressed and put on their winter gear. I-Pin grabbed the bag of presents they had gotten for their family and slung it over one shoulder as Lambo carried their suitcases. They met Fran in the silent, empty lobby, standing in front of the glass front door with his own luggage.

"If we get caught in another surprise snowstorm, I'm going to kill you," said Fran flatly.

It was a few minutes later when Futa's car rolled up to the curb, headlights illuminating the dark night. The three teens hurried out into the bitter air and to the trunk, which Futa had popped open. They loaded their stuff inside and climbed into the backseat.

"Get ready for a long four-hour drive," declared Futa, pulling out onto the road.

"I'll be here, sleeping," muttered Fran, lowering his frog hood over his eyes and settling back against the seat.

Lambo grinned widely and pumped his fist. "Christmas miracles rock!"

…

Belphegor slouched back on the couch in the living room, staring at the ceiling. It was almost nine on Christmas morning and the rest of his family was scattered throughout the mansion. The gifts were still under the tree, as none of them felt any desire to open them until Fran was present.

It had come as a great annoyance to see that there was a raging snowstorm on their end when the storm in Fran's area had just ceased. The Frog wasn't coming home for the holidays and that bothered Belphegor more than he cared to admit.

"Oi. Luss is making pancakes. You want some?"

Mammon leaned over the edge of the couch and into Belphegor's line of sight. The blonde lazily reached up to pinch the illusionist's cheek. "I want eggs."

"Tough." Mammon batted his hand away. "You're getting pancakes."

"Nah. I'm not hungry."

His bitter mood was clear. "We'll see Fran after Christmas," said Mammon, flicking Belphegor in the forehead. "Stop moping."

Belphegor snorted. "I'm not moping. I'm just irritated because I haven't given Froggy a solid whooping in over two months." He paused for a moment before asking, "What do you think he's doing now?"

"Probably sleeping, the lazy jerk."

"Rude."

Belphegor jumped to his feet and Mammon whirled around as swirls of indigo and black Mist waves appeared before them, soon followed by the young illusionist himself. Fran shook the snow from his clothing and smirked.

"Hey, losers."

"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Mammon in disbelief.

"There's this thing called driving," drawled Fran. "Futa just dropped me off. We— _oof!_ "

Belphegor wasted no time in wrangling the nineteen-year-old into a headlock. Fran grunted and fought back, throwing his body weight against the blonde and bringing them both against the floor.

"Geez, you've gotten uglier since I've been gone," jeered Fran, jamming his knee into Belphegor's stomach.

Belphegor dug his elbow into the teen's neck, smirking. "Funny, I was just going to tell you the same thing."

Shaking his head, Mammon snapped his fingers and the two levitated away from each other. Belphegor cast him an annoyed look. "I haven't finished pounding him yet."

"I'm sure you'll have time to do it later," the ex-Arcobaleno replied.

"Yeah, right now I'm starved. Is there any food?"

"Lussuria is making some now. Guess we better let the others know your useless ass has arrived."

Fran stuck out his tongue and punched his fellow illusionist in the shoulder. Mammon returned the punch with a small, fond smile and the trio made their way to the kitchen, where everyone but Xanxus were gathered.

"Look who we found," drawled Belphegor, pinching Fran's cheek. "The baby has returned."

Levi's eyebrows flew upwards. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"School," answered Fran. "You must have gone senile while I was away."

"Fran-chan!" cooed Lussuria, leaving his station at the stove to pull the teen into a bone-crushing hug. "We didn't think you'd be able to make it!"

"Me either," wheezed Fran, and he took a quick intake of air when he was released. "But the storm stopped around four and we decided to leave."

"You didn't drive in this crap, did you?" asked Squalo with a slight frown.

"Only the last half hour," replied Fran with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Futa managed. At a snail’s pace, which is why it took us almost an extra hour, but he managed.”

"I don't know if you're a moron or an imbecile," scoffed Levi.

"A mix of both, I believe," quipped Fran.

The sound of footsteps fell towards the kitchen and Fran turned just as Xanxus entered the doorway. He stared at his youngest member for a moment before letting out a snort. "Typical. Figures you're too stubborn to wait for one of us to come get you. You're lucky your stupid ass didn't get stuck in this mess."

“The storm basically started when we reached the area, so it wasn’t the worst,” defended Fran. "There's also very little traffic on the roads at four in the morning so we made pretty good time.”

Xanxus arched an eyebrow. "You willingly got up at four in the morning to make the four-hour trip here?"

"Very out of character," said Belphegor, kicking the teen in the back of the legs. "I don't appreciate strange behaviour."

"What compelled you to get up so early?" asked Lussuria curiously, turning off the stove as the last of the pancakes finished cooking.

Fran tilted his head to the side, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I wanted to be home for Christmas."

"Tch." Squalo reached out and yanked Fran's frog hood over his eyes. "Annoying brat."

"Now we can open presents," said Belphegor with childish glee.

"After breakfast," said Lussuria firmly. He pointed towards the dining room. "Sit."

Grumbling threats under his breath, Belphegor complied. Levi followed after and as he passed the young illusionist he gave him a light rap against his forehead. Fran smirked and made his way towards the dining room, falling into step beside Xanxus.

"Did you miss me?"

Xanxus glanced lazily down at the scrawny teen, lips curling upwards. "Hell no," he denied, giving the teen a slight shove.

Fran knocked his shoulder into Xanxus' arm and retorted, "Didn't miss your face either."

The teal-haired male darted forwards and purposefully slammed into Levi as he went by. Bickering and squabbling soon broke out and Xanxus smirked.

It was damn great to have Fran home for Christmas.

…

Christmas music drifted softly throughout the drawing room, background noise for the group gathered on the various chairs and couches that surrounded the magnificent Christmas tree. Brightly wrapped gifts were stacked beneath the pine, untouched. No felt like it was right for the gifts to be opened without the youngest members of their family.

Tsuna rested his chin against his hand with a soft sigh. He cast a bitter glance out the window, staring at the swirling white vortex that was the obstacle between them and the university students.

A light jostling of his elbow brought his attention elsewhere. Yamamoto had a knowing smile on his face. "Hey, we told the kids not to be sad on Christmas. We shouldn't be sad either."

"I know," said Tsuna, falling slightly to the side and resting his head on Yamamoto's shoulder. "But it's been two months since they've last been home."

"Don't know why they couldn't go to a school closer to here," muttered Gokudera.

Bianchi smirked. "Probably to get away from you."

The silver-haired man sneered and threw a pillow at her. "Shut up, Sis."

"At least they're together," said Haru positively. "We'll see them soon enough."

After the words left her mouth Chrome and Mukuro suddenly felt a strong, familiar presence approaching them. Chrome grinned widely and said, "Actually, sooner than we thought!"

Bewildered, Mukuro turned to stare at the arched entryway. Sounds of the three missing members of their family filled the corridor before they themselves appeared, dressed in their winter gear and covered in snow.

Tsuna's face lit up. "Hey, guys!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mukuro asked in bemusement as Haru, Kyoko and Chrome squealed and buried the three in tight hugs.

"We came for Christmas," replied Lambo, looking over Haru's head with a bright smile. "So, surprise!"

Hibari pointed out the window, where the snowstorm was in full gear, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "You _drove_ in this?"

"Only for a little bit," admitted Futa, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "We were hoping to beat the storm completely, but we didn't quite make it in time."

"You could have gotten into a serious accident," snapped Gokudera. "What were you thinking?"

"Don't be mad," whined Lambo. "It's Christmas."

"Yeah," chided Kyoko, wrapping an arm around the teen's shoulders. "They're here, they're safe, and that's what matters."

"Exactly," said Yamamoto cheerfully. "You know you're happy to see them."

Gokudera could not help but smile. "Obviously. I just wish they'd start listening to orders."

"Eh, we'll see," quipped Lambo.

"Shut up and get over here, ahoshi."

Lambo hurried over and wrapped his arms around the Storm Guardian. "I missed you."

"Idiot. I missed you too."

"Where are my hugs?" asked Tsuna with a pout.

Laughing, the three embraced him, warmth spreading through their bodies at the comforting and loving atmosphere that surrounded them. More hugs were exchanged and in no time happy chatter filled the once-silent room.

It was this happy scene Shamal and Reborn walked in on. The hitman clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. "I thought I saw Futa's car out in the driveway. Kyoya hasn't bitten you to death yet for driving in this mess?"

"Still debating on it," muttered Hibari, and he quelled a smile when Futa shot him a slight pout.

"Damn, there goes the neighbourhood," sighed Shamal, slipping his hands into the pockets of his coat.

"Like you can talk," sneered Lambo.

"Watch your mouth, boy, or I'm taking your presents away."

His face brightened. "Ooh, presents!"

I-Pin tugged on Tsuna's arm, expression pleading. "Can we open them now?"

"There's the truth," drawled Mukuro. "They haven't been driving since four in the morning for us. They came for the presents."

Futa tilted his head to the side. "I thought that was obvious."

Tsuna laughed and fondly ruffled I-Pin's hair. "Sure. Go ahead."

With delighted whoops the three dived for the present pile, eagerly searching for the ones that bore their name. Tsuna reclined back against the cushions with a contented smile on his face.

There was nothing better than having everyone home for the holidays.


End file.
